of course, there is that infamous picture of bill clinton with mandela in 1998 when clinton went to visit mandela and mandela showed the president the jail cell where he spent 17 years under incarceration by the government. it was a total of 20 years in prison. in 2002 president george w. bush awarded mandela with a presidential medal of freedom and president obama met with mandela once back when he was a senator in 2005. so right now as we await for the president to speak about the passing of nelson mandela. >> i know it will be some heartfelt remarks from the president because when you think about it, it's this nation's first african american president offering sentiments about south africa's first black president, clearly tied together by their roles in history and connected a number of times in person, the obama family connecting with mandela's family in south africa. again you're looking right now outside of nelson mandela's home in johannesburg where people have gathered to remember, to reflect upon the life of the man they call madeva. he is the father of modern south africa, dead